Dinner And A Show
by dshell99
Summary: Kevin has never worked so hard for a first date in his life. Disclaimer: I don't own Ed, Edd, n Eddy. I only own my OCs and plot. Mickey goes to Auntie Shara. Nat goes to C2ndy2c1d. Rave goes to Eyugho. Cover art by arielagam.
1. A Raving Good Time

**Author's Note: So I got this crazy idea when I was at the early stages of _Another Man's Treasure_ to do a fic where Kevin and Edd meet up in college, but because of Edd's _busy life_ (with just the right amount of OH MY GAWD YOU DID NOT shenanigans for our resident smartass cutie), they just can't quite seal the deal on getting that precious _first date_. But I had NO IDEA on where or how to start because I was in the middle of _life_ and AMT.**

 **Once I finished AMT, I wanted to get to this, but was still clueless on starting ideas. After talking a few ideas over with Auntie_Shara (and maybe snagging some inspiration from Love's Fool, which is fucking fantastic and you had better be reading it, too!) and seeing a cute picture of Double Dee by arielagam on Instagram (she's here on fanfic as well and you better go read her stuff!) with a cute little headcanon in the caption to boot, I _finally_ got this thing together. **

**First it was going to be a one shot.**

 **Then things got _crazy._**

 **And now we're here.**

 _ **Enjoy!**_

 **Love you!**

"Wanna go see some queens tonight?"

Kevin looked from his desk over to his roommate and best homeboy as Nat laid sprawled out on his bed and made a face.

He didn't mind going to drag shows, it was Nat's overall behavior when they went that gave him pause.

Then he remembered something.

"Can't. Going to a rave with Nazz tonight."

"Oh, yeah!," Nat said brightly. "What are you wearing?"

Kevin made another face as he scratched his head.

"Jeans and a shirt, I guess," he shrugged and Nat rolled his eyes as he made his way to Kevin's closet in their small dorm room.

"You have absolutely nothing to wear," the fashion conscious young man sighed and Kevin snorted.

"I do, too!"

"Jeans and tshirt isn't exactly _rave_ worthy," Nat sighed as he made a face at his friend before looking in his closet again.

Kevin crossed his arms and smirked as Nat dug through the space only to come up empty handed.

"Ok, just try not to look too much like a _jock,"_ Nat sighed as he got out of the closet and collapsed on his bed again.

Kevin shot him a bit of a glare as he said, "Takes one to know one."

"I only play _support_ Mr QB, hot shot pitcher guy," Nat retorted and Kevin sighed because he knew he was right.

Being the school's starting QB and pitcher made him the head _jock_ on campus, which brought him a higher profile.

Nat was a hell of a running back and shortstop, but he didn't have Kevin's _Number One_ status, despite his own high profile because of his parent's money, his _keen_ fashion sense, and _pansexuality_ , the latter of which got him all sorts of _play_.

Which Kevin just _knew_ he was going to put into play tonight at the drag show.

"Look, what I've got on is good, Dude," Kevin said tersely as he pointed at his Iron Man tshirt.

Nat gave him a quick once over and shrugged.

 _"I guess."_

"Not everyone wants to look like they just stepped out of a Hello Kitty dungeon at a rave, you freak," Kevin snarked at him and Nat's offense was only a _little_ feigned.

"I look adorable in that outfit and you know it," Nat snipped back as Kevin shuddered.

"Whatever you say, man," Kevin said as he shook his head, texted Nazz back, grabbed his red snapback and headed out the door.

* * *

Edd slammed his laptop shut and groaned as he thumped his head against the device.

"What's up, Sockhead?," Eddy asked as he quirked a concerned brow at his best friend.

"Ugh. Just… _ugh,"_ the ravenette sighed into his hands before sitting up and running a hand down his face.

"Another miss?"

"This wasn't a _miss,_ this was a foul ball that struck out before I could even get a hit off," Edd whined.

Eddy gave a snicker at Edd's bad baseball analogy, but knew it held true.

Edd was one of their university's top scholars, so his social life was very limited to honor society meetings, general schmoozing with donors, and hours upon hours of being stuck in the biology research labs trying to come up with the _next big cure_ that would help save the world and give the university a ton of money that they would throw at their sports teams.

But every once in a while, Edd actually _wanted_ to go out to the big game, or to hear a new band at the coffee shop he worked at instead of just working while some hipster played their mandolin, or even _dancing_ in a crowded club.

With his time limited as it was because of school, he would occasionally turn to his friends for ideas on how to get out and what to get into whenever he could spare the time.

That led him to meeting new people and doing new things, but sometimes he got _lonely_ doing so.

Even a quick meeting over coffee to converse with someone about something other than the next alumni donor dinner or cramming for the next test was like water in the desert to the busy young man.

He had been out as gay since sophomore year of high school, so he knew how to date and a few places to go to get a date, but because of work and school lately, he's been _dry._

* * *

He had started seeing a therapist after midterms the spring semester of their sophomore year because he had an anxiety attack in class when his history professor popped a pop quiz on them as soon as she walked in the door.

His therapist suggested getting off campus to get out of the mindset of doing _all the things_ that comes with going to college.

He started with taking yoga at a local studio, which led to taking a ballroom dance class, where he met James Castellanos. The actor, who went by Rave, was taking the ballroom dance class to help him with expanding his audition resume and his overall stage presence in the theater and the drag shows he would work when there wasn't a show to do at the university.

Rave told him that he should come to a show as one of his biggest problems with socializing was finding other gay people to socialize with. Rave was sure that he'd find other like-minded people at a show as they drew in _all types_ , because _everyone_ likes to have fun and enjoy a good show.

Edd was enthralled at the show when he went and the free shots Rave got for him as his guest got him to loosen up a bit, so that when the karaoke challenge was brought up, Edd _killed it_.

He became a favorite audience participant for _weeks_ before finals took over and then summer break sent him back to Peachbury.

When school started back up again the following fall, Rave and Edd ran into each other in a shared yoga class and Rave introduced him to the idea of becoming a _queen._

"You'll only have to come in when you're free or want to blow off some steam. The pay is $150 per show for newcomers, free drinks, and you keep your tips," Rave told him when he suggested he join their _house._

Considering that his grants and scholarships only barely covered his expenses, a job was something that Edd _needed_ , but didn't have the time for.

He worked at a coffee shop just off campus for a few hours twice a week to get some supplemental income, but the pay was _minimal,_ the tips were bare, _and_ had to be shared with everyone on shift.

The free coffee had only piqued his anxiety, but he refused to give it up because _free._

With shows only going on during the weekends when he wasn't stuck with an early morning class the next day, he was more inclined to take a position.

And all his tips were _his_.

"Just come watch a rehearsal and a show," Rave suggested. "I'll buy you dinner and you can talk to Mickey about how it all really works out because I'm not too sure how things work out for newcomers anymore."

Edd attended one rehearsal and was _hooked_.

* * *

He only did the Saturday show on the third weekend of the month because that was the only time he was free to make rehearsal and a show. And it gave him Sunday to recover from any inevitable hangovers and do his homework for the week.

But it also introduced him to so many new people.

He started to get _dates_ and when Big Lisa, their Queen Mother, introduced him to Grindr, he was very pleased to know that were even more eligible people to go out with in their small college town than those who came to the bar on the weekend.

* * *

Lately, however, he's gotten more _misses_ than _hits_.

Guys would either be on the down low, openly dating other people, but trying to sneak in one night stands when they felt they could get away with it, or just not his _type_.

"Look, Nazz told me about this guy she thinks you'll hit it off with," Eddy told him as he passed him the piece of paper that he had pulled out of his pocket. "Name's Josh Marcos. He seems pretty cool. A bit nerdy," he shrugged and Edd gave him a hard side eye as he snatched the paper from his hands.

He looked the number over and decided that he didn't have anything to lose as they were going out tonight and he wasn't in the mood to _hunt_ at a _rave_ of all places. Then he had to work tomorrow. He only had a brunch with the deans of the science and math departments Sunday to celebrate the Mathletes latest win in conference competition before throwing himself into his books until he went to the research lab for the evening to check on a few projects with his team.

He figured that a quick study break date would be a nice way to end the weekend and dialed the number in question, made a date for Sunday afternoon, then hopped in the shower so he could get ready to go _rave_ the week away.

* * *

The music was loud, the smoke _thick_ , but Edd doesn't care because he's about two shots away from being _done_ for the night and he doesn't mind because he is _done_ with this week.

Pop quizzes before scheduled exams made his anxiety twist up, his coffee shop job had over booked him and he couldn't get out of it, thus missing a couple of group meetings that he knew he didn't _need,_ but also knew it wasn't a good look to his classmates.

And then his favorite makeup counter at the mall was out of his shade of foundation, and his favorite cobbler was on vacation, thus making his drag wardrobe have all kinds of malfunctions because he was down to only three pairs of shoes.

Big Lisa and Rave helped him sort things out so he still could do his dance routine at the show on Saturday and host with Rave as planned.

But tonight, he's going to blow _all_ of the steam this week's shenanigans have built up in him _off_.

As he made his way to the bar for another cocktail, he walked into a _human wall_.

"Oof!"

"Oh, my bad, man," the wall said as it turned around and Edd just _stared_ at _him._

"You're _Kevin Barr!,_ " he squeaked once he found his voice again and Kevin gave him a smirk and shrug.

"That's what they call me. You ok?"

"I'm fine!," Edd giggled as he waved him off. "You're a soft wall."

Kevin quirked a brow and as a spotlight ran across the room, he caught the _haze_ in Edd's blue eyes.

"I'm hard where it counts," the redhead whispered in his ear before stepping away from the bar and Edd's jaw dropped as he walked away.

"Max! I'll have what he's having!," he told the blond and purple highlighted bartender who cocked his own brow at the drunken genius before saying, "It's your funeral!"

"Then let me go out on a ride with _him!,"_ Edd laughed and Max chuckled, too, as he mixed a lot of Jack with a little Coke, and waved off his $5 bill.

"Go get that ride," the man winked at him and Edd took off in search of his _soft wall._


	2. New Connections

Edd found him talking to _Eddy._

Apparently Nazz, a nursing major they met at the emergency care clinic when their friend Ed got his clock cleaned during an intramural flag football game, who was involved in what Edd called the world's worst love triangle between Eddy and Lee, a hardass townie, was besties with _the wall_.

Who drug him away for a dance once they figured out that tonight Eddy was going to pay attention to Nazz, if only because _the wall_ was there and was going to make sure the short Ed treated her like she deserved, _and_ because Edd didn't mind dancing with _a guy_.

 _"Score one for me,"_ Kevin thought as Edd took his hand and spun himself under his arm during a particularly fast beat to a song that Kevin had only heard as a ballad.

But considering how close they were because of the crowd, a few slow steps were needed. And sparks flew through the redhead because of the dork's soft touches.

It had been a few months sense he had anything close to resembling a date, so even a simple dance with the short cutie was making him feel _some kind of way._

And Kevin may not have Edd's moves on the dance floor, but he did surprise the quick footed _queen_ with the moves he did have.

They spent the rest of the night casually talking, dancing, and guzzling water to stave off their inevitable hangovers.

"So, can I see you again?," Kevin asked as the lights went up.

"Gimme your phone."

When Kevin handed the device over, Edd quickly tapped his number into his _Contact List_ as he said, "I'm busy the rest of this weekend, but I work at Perk Up on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the rest of this month. You should swing by and we can…umm…t-talk some more."

At this point, Edd got a full look at the other and the pictures and videos that highlighted his sporting career at their university hadn't shown how sly his grin really was or how his green eyes _sparkle_ as he did so. At what Edd didn't know, but he _really, really_ wanted to.

"Sounds cool," Kevin grinned before looking around for their friends.

Edd turned to look with him and when they saw how near empty the bar was, Edd sighed.

"How'd you get here?," Kevin asked him as he guided him through the rest of the crowd and out the door once they figured out that they had been _ditched._

"Eddy. He drove us."

"Ever been on a motorcycle?"

* * *

Edd was still just tipsy enough to see that riding on the back of a motorcycle as _fun_ and not the panic inducing ride it should have been to the safety conscious young man.

Kevin dropped him off at Big Ed's dorm with a promise to call him _soon_.

The thank you kiss for the ride he got after the dork dismounted the bike nearly made him make good on that promise right then, but you can't really ride a motorcycle and hold a conversation on the phone at the same time.

 _Score one for safety!_

* * *

"Ok, ladies," Mickey said as he stepped into the club's large dressing room and started to pass out copies of the show's set list, "this is your set list. Jonny has everything cued up for you. Just keep the flirting to a _minimal_ and we should be on time to get everyone out before we close for the night so you can all get home safely."

They all nodded as he stepped out and the bartender brought in water and tea to help them hydrate before the show.

Rave helped everyone with their lashes like he always did, they said a prayer for a good show, and then hit the stage.

* * *

"You know her, you love her, but you can't afford her," Rave, who was wearing a classic lady's sailor suit with a captain's hat that Kevin kinda recognized, whispered into the microphone, before raising her voice and saying, "Give a hearty _Angela's_ welcome to _Dr Double Dee!"_

Nat gave his usual high whistle as a shaggy haired Edd stepped out on stage next to Rave.

And Kevin's _frozen._

Despite the costume Edd was in, he'd recognize those eyes _anywhere_.

And because she was sober, they were clearer than the summer skies they resembled.

Edd cracked a grin as she shot back the shot from the test tube in her hand and Rave smirked as she asked, "Did you bring enough for _the rest of the class?"_

"I suppose," Edd smiled and Kevin's _done._

Her eyes sparkled as her full lips spread across her face and the gap between her two front teeth was on full display.

And it had to be the _cutest_ thing Kevin had _ever_ seen.

Edd snapped her fingers as her assistant who wore the same costume as she popped out from back stage with carrying a tray of the test tube shots in each hand.

Where Edd's lab coat was white, the assistant's was black and she wore black short shorts, a white tank top, and blue converse with thigh high white socks, but Edd was dressed in what looked like dress slacks and a white Oxford with a _pocket protector_.

 _Never_ had _dork_ looked so damn _sexy._

"You are so over dressed for this, Doc," Rave said as she tugged on Edd's collar and the _doctor_ rolled her eyes.

And the crowd _exploded_ as she tore the pants away to reveal a pair of blue satin short shorts, black t-strap stilettos, and a set of the sexiest legs Kevin ever had the privilege of _gawking_ at .

"You want a shot?!"

Kevin looked down from his bar stool to see _Dr Double Dee's_ assistant holding up a tray full of shots.

"I'll take _two!,"_ Kevin told her, hoping the sweet alcohol would numb the needy feeling rising in his gut.

Nat _flailed_ as Edd ripped her shirt away to reveal an ample chest nestling snuggly in a ripped up blue tshirt that said, "Trust Me, I'm A Doctor," on it and the black lacy tank top underneath was _doing_ things to Kevin.

* * *

After spending most of the late morning after he woke up and all afternoon trying to figure out if he should call Edd like he _promised_ , Nat figured taking him out to the Saturday show would distract him as Edd _said_ he was _busy,_ so calling would be futile.

But now Kevin's wondering how truly futile it would have been considering what Edd was doing _right now_.

* * *

She was standing next to Rave as they both leaned over a _birthday boy_ who had just turned 21.

Rave was checking his temperature with her lips smashed against the guy's forehead and Edd had her assistant bring her her stethoscope.

"How's his heart, Doc?," Rave asked and Edd shrugged.

"Normal," she said as she handed the stethoscope back to the young queen who was her helper for the night. "Could use a kick start, though."

"SHOTS ALL AROUND!," Rave screamed into the mic as Kickstart My Heart by Motley Crüe ripped through the speakers and another round of shots was brought out by a gaggle of young waiters wearing basic black tee's and jeans.

Kevin and Nat bought a couple of Red Headed Sluts and when they slammed the shots down, Edd disappeared back stage.

After another round of shots, thanks to the birthday boy that Edd had ordered a _kick starter_ to the heart for, Rave made the announcement that _changed Kevin's life_.

 _"The doctor will see you now."_


	3. Music To My Ears

_The room_ went dark and when the spotlight hit the stage, _Dr Double Dee_ was center stage with two sexy nurses at her side, but her own costume needed to be on Kevin's dorm room floor _rightthatsecond_.

The ripped tshirt was gone, but the black lace tank was barely containing the _Double D_ sized breasts she stuffed into it, the long lab coat had been replaced by a shorter one and the shorts with a _tight_ black miniskirt that just _barely_ covered her ass.

She traded in the black t-strap stilettos for the same style in _blue_ and as the hard drum and guitar lines to Motley Crüe's Dr Feelgood _shook the room_ , the three queens started to dance.

It wasn't anything overly seductive, just sexy and fun, but Kevin, who's _deathly afraid_ of needles, needs a shot of adrenaline because he. is. _gone._

Every twerk of that _round_ ass.

Every bounce of her chest.

Every shake of her hips.

It all just took his breath away.

When the group made their way to where he and Nat were sitting, a flash of recognition flew through her eyes, but she didn't seemed phased.

Not even when Kevin kissed her cheek and shoved a $5 bill down her tank top.

But _he_ turned _fire engine red_ when she turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the lips and a slight giggle as she danced away.

* * *

It took Nat _shaking_ him to bring him back to earth, but he was still a jumble as Angela Jackson, who owned the bar, came to the stage to make a few announcements before the second half of the show, which was the karaoke challenge, kicked in.

Both young men took note of when their local chapter of PRIDE Day held their fall blood drive and where they would be at for the county health clinic's World AIDS Day "Know Your Status" testing.

"That's finals week, but I think I can swing a test in the afternoon," Nat said and Kevin nodded as he checked his schedule.

"Can't, I got a final at 1 and 330 that day," he sighed, his anxiety over needles twisting his alcohol filled gut into knots.

"If you're up for a booty crack of dawn test, I'm game because I've got my first final at 830, otherwise…"

"Yeah," Kevin sighed. "I'll ask Nazz if she's free, too."

"Good idea," Nat said as he sipped the water Rave just placed in front of him.

"What's a good idea?," the acting emcee for the night asked as she crossed she arms, but Nat slipped an arm around her waist anyways.

"Knowing our status," Nat shrugged and Rave cocked an impressed brow at him.

"That _is_ a good idea," the actor said before snatching the water back and taking a long swig.

"So is _my_ hat on _your floor. OW!"_

Rave just scowled at him as she popped his ear again before adjusting the hat on her head and walked away.

* * *

Edd lead the karaoke show.

As a queen at the bar, she couldn't be in it anymore, but it was just as much fun being in charge and occasionally singing a few tunes as she set things up for the next song or sang a duet with someone who had chosen a song that required two people but the other person didn't have anyone to sing with.

Kevin spent a good portion of the show hiding his face in his hands because he just could. not. take. _The Cute._

* * *

When everything was done for the night, Kevin went with Nat to the bar to grab one more bottle of water for the road and saddle up their tab.

And Edd ran into the _soft wall_ again as Kevin turned away from the bar.

 _"Hey,"_ the redhead said breathlessly and Edd gave him a small smile.

The queen's make up was gone and he was wearing a grey zip up hoodie over a simple black tshirt and loose fitting jeans with black Adidas that matched the beanie on his head.

"Hey, yourself. Did you have fun?"

"More fun than a barrel full of monkeys. _Ow!,"_ Nat groaned as Kevin put his snapback on his head again after he hit Nat a few times on the head with it, a _crimson_ blush in his cheeks that Edd knew wasn't from all the alcohol he drank tonight.

"Yeah, you did real good," Kevin said brightly and Edd flashed him a full smile.

"Thank you. Now if you would excuse me, I need to talk to our friend Danny here," he said as he cocked his head at the bartender who handed him an envelope over Kevin's head.

"It's all there," Danny told him and Edd nodded as he waved the envelope in a goodbye motion to the two jocks standing at the bar and walked away.

"Which girl was that?," Nat asked Danny as he didn't recognize Edd without full makeup.

"Edd," Kevin said softly as he ran a hand down his face. "Err, well, the doctor one."

"What?!," the peacock squealed as he turned on his friend and Danny cocked a brow. "That little cutie is the one you were going on about this morning?! AND HE'S DR DOUBLE DEE!?"

 _"Dude,"_ Kevin said tensely and Danny gave Nat a solid stink eye.

"Sorry, sorry," Nat muttered apologetically.

"You _know better,_ Nathan," the grizzly bartender said as he wiped a glass down.

"I know. I'm sorry," he said sincerely as Rave walked up.

The hat was still on his head, but he treaded the sailor suit for a maroon and black stripped turtle neck, black skinny jeans, Doc Martens, and a simple black London Fog jacket and maroon cashmere scarf. While Kevin knew that the shoes, jacket, and scarf were gifts from Nat, the actor wore the whole outfit so well that unless you were standing right next to him, you wouldn't know that his wardrobe was partially financed by the one man on campus who he couldn't avoid if he tried.

And Lord knows he _tried_.

"What did you do this time, Goldberg?," he huffed as he drug a large suitcase behind him and saw the remorseful look on Nat's face.

"Freaked out over Edd for some strange reason," Danny tattled.

Confusion crossed his face in such a way that Kevin felt like he had to explain.

"I met Edd last night at the rave in the warehouse by the river. He gave me his number, but I didn't know he worked here."

Rave gave him a quick once over before rolling his eyes.

"And you just put it all together and this idiot just happened to be standing here when you did," he sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're lucky he's already gone, Nathan."

"I know," the teal headed fool whispered.

"What? Why?," Kevin asked.

"Because," Danny said softly as he wiped down the counter in front of him, "We get people in here who act like they want to see the show or just have fun, but they're really looking to attack the girls. We gotta keep things chill because we don't want to draw attention to them and have someone _follow_ them, ya know?"

Kevin's eyes went wide and his blood started to boil as realization set in his gut.

He came out as gay junior year of high school, but was always able to defend himself in such a way that not many messed with him outside of mean words and shoulder checks. He couldn't imagine how someone like Edd, who was skinny as a rail, would be able to defend himself from hateful people if the need arose. Especially if they caught him out in drag.

"Does he have an escort or something?," Kevin asked nervously as the bar was near empty.

"Yeah," Rave said as he popped Nat's ear and the peacock didn't even whine. "One of his friends comes to get him and if he can't then we call the cab company we work with to get him home, and then a campus escort gets him to his room."

"Wait -!," Kevin began and Nat waved him off.

"All the campus escorts that get calls from the club are taken through certified training with the police department to make sure their background checks out and that they can defend anyone from bad guys if necessary," he said and Rave nodded in agreement.

Kevin breathed a bit of a sigh of relief at this because the rumor with the campus escort system was that some of the guys involved would try to take advantage of the girls they were supposed to be helping get home safely. He didn't want to think about what would happen if one tried to hurt any of the people that worked at the club because of who they were or what they did while they worked there.

 _Especially Edd._

"Annnnd," Rave said as he silenced his buzzing phone, "he's home. So it's all good. What's your name anyway, Red?"

"K-Kevin," the redhead said as he took a breath and sipped his water.

Rave turned to look at Nat with narrowed eyes as he asked, "Roommate?"

"The one and only," Nat nodded.

 _"Oh, dear God…,"_ the actor breathed as he started to piece things together and then he shuddered. "Ok, look, _Kevin._ Edd's a nice guy and he's pretty cool, but if you want to…I don't know… _date him,_ you gotta be _cool, capice?"_

Kevin nodded as the actor and his friend walked away so Nat could make sure he got into his cab home safely before he and Kevin took his car back to their dorm.


	4. Blind Taste Test

"So what do you do with the Zoology club?," Edd asked and Josh cocked a grin at him as he shrugged.

Edd could tell a brag fest was coming on, but he was genuinely interested in what the soccer star had to say.

Despite the initial awkwardness that accompanies blind dates, they fell into an easy conversation once the caffeine kicked in.

Josh was a zoology major and president of the Zoology Club. He loved koalas, emperor penguins, and his pet gecko, Leo.

As Josh regaled him with the shenanigans the Zoology Club found themselves in at the National Zoo over spring break last semester, Edd noticed a familiar snapback come through the door of _his_ coffee shop.

The teal haired guy with him was what really made Edd's head _turn._

Hair like that isn't something you saw everyday and Edd couldn't help but _stare_ a bit.

When Josh saw who he was looking at, the soccer star waved the other two athletes over, thinking that he'd score a few _nice guy_ bonus points with the scholar with their references.

But the air between Kevin and Edd was _awkward._

Kevin knew that Edd wasn't lying when he said he was busy this weekend as he proved it every time he saw him, but to keep running into him the way he was, _especially now,_ was rubbing him the wrong way.

He and Nat made small talk with Edd and Josh before grabbing their iced coffees and heading out.

Which was when Edd decided to make his own exit.

* * *

It wasn't that Josh wasn't his type, but the _"vouch for me, guys!,"_ move was a bit _lame_ in Edd's mind.

He had wanted Josh to speak for _himself,_ as he could find out any other information on the young man through the school's usual gossip channels and whatever the university put out about him themselves as he was as involved on campus as Edd was. By getting him to speak for himself, he would get a better picture of who Josh really was and if he was ok with wasting what little free time he had with him.

But Kevin showing up in his space again was just too _coincidental_.

He talked nice about Edd's date, but considering that they had already made plans the previous Friday to talk about themselves some time later in the week, it just seemed like they were both selling themselves short by giving space to someone who probably shouldn't be in theirs.

Edd headed to the labs earlier than he had planned but took the long way so he could _think_.

* * *

One thing Edd was keen on in _all_ of his relationships was _honesty_.

He was honest with his parents about his sexuality and while it took them awhile for them to accept who he was, he didn't let their increased absence, hurtful remarks, and mind boggling questions hurt him. He just continued to live his life.

He was honest with his friends not only about his sexuality, but about how they could all better their lives by making good on their strengthens to gain the trust of their neighbors and peers by working _honestly_ instead of running scams to make a quick quarter.

Eddy was more accepting of his sexuality than the idea of making an _honest buck_ at first, but once he saw how quickly and _positively_ people responded once they figured out that he wasn't trying to scam them, he came around.

Ed just hugged him and asked for help in finding a _real job_.

If anyone had a question, he would try to find an answer.

Kevin had only asked to see him again and he gave him an answer and even dates to do so.

And then he went about his business.

That Kevin kept creeping in.

* * *

If the redhead wasn't so cute, he'd wonder if he was stalking him, but considering that Angela's was only one of two gay bars in town, and the only one that ran drag shows on the weekends, seeing Kevin there was just the luck of the draw.

The rave had been advertised for _weeks,_ and it was the football team's bye week, so seeing him there wasn't that much of a surprise either.

And he told him about the coffee shop, so he didn't blame him for wanting to try it.

But it all felt so _weird._

Kevin seemed nice enough and didn't act _some kind of way_ about his working at Angela's like Josh did.

The aspiring lion tamer had tried to be _cool_ about Edd's weekend job, but Edd could tell that he was more weirded out by it than anything else.

Sure, he was a pretty straight laced _academic,_ but a job's a job when you're a broke college student. And he needed to get out more so his academics wouldn't consume his life like they once did.

By working in the drag shows, along with his coffee shop job, he had plenty of experience with _working with the public_ , which was also helping him deal with the many personalities that his academic work would expose him to.

He could disarm a frazzled freshman with a gentle touch and a smile, _flirt_ with alumni and other donors, and liven up any event with a few well-placed words to draw a story out of all the people in the room to get them talking, interacting, and moving like the cells he worked with every day.

So while some people may have seen him as a _freak in a dress_ , he felt he was a scientist blending elements to set off the chain reactions of a fun night out, million dollar donations to his university, and occasionally turning a droll cocktail party into an _event._

When he got to the labs, his head was clear.

And so was his social calendar.

* * *

"That's what you're wearing?!," Nat huffed at him and Kevin through his head back on an exasperated groan.

The peacock had stepped into their room as soon as Kevin stepped out of their bathroom and got to see him fresh out of the shower, hair still wet, but his jeans and tshirt were _clean_ and wrinkle free, so Kevin felt he looked good.

"Dude, it's just a quick coffee thing while he's on break. I ain't wearing a suit and tie for this," Kevin snapped at him as he grabbed his snapback off his dresser.

 _"You never have a second chance to make a fresh impression,"_ Nat quoted with a _know it all_ smirk on his face and Kevin gave him a blank stare.

"I've seen the guy at a _rave,_ a _drag show_ , and on a _date_ with like, _the worst_ full back the soccer team has, and _yet_ , he seems to be pretty cool with talking to me, so _shut it."_

"Fiiine," Nat sighed as threw himself in his desk chair. "I got a thing with James after the show on Saturday, so don't wait up," he told him as Kevin headed for the door.

"Dude, it's _Tuesday."_

Nat just gave him an incredulous stare and shrug.

"Yeah, you keep that date, man," he chuckled as he walked out the door and headed to Edd's _day job._

* * *

It may have only been Tuesday, but Kevin knew way more about Edd now than he ever did before.

The beanie that he was seen wearing around campus was replaced with a black Perk Up ball cap when he was at the coffee house.

He would wear a wear a long black wig with HUGE curls for his solos at the club, but would let his own shaggy curls hang lose when he wasn't dancing.

The beanie wasn't to be touched, and neither was his hair in general. Rave would play in it, as did his friend Big Ed. But otherwise, hands off. And his friends were very good at making that point clear to _anyone_ who came in his space and they were around to defend him.

He could throw a damn good punch if need be as Kevin figured out that _he_ was the elite scholar who clocked a fuckboy who wouldn't stop harassing him after figuring out the guy was only trying to add him to his list of guys he _used_ til they were of no use to him, or anyone else for that matter.

Edd got arrested for knocking the scumbag out at a bonfire being put on by the university's PRIDE Alliance, but was let go because the douchebag wouldn't press charges.

And he was on the research team that got the stem cell patent that gave the school another $100 thousand dollars a year in sheer research funding. No one was discussing the _millions_ that was coming in from the patent's use in other research fields.

Sadly, Edd and the team he was on were only getting a cocktail party to celebrate their accomplishment.

Which was why he worked at the coffee shop during the week and the club on weekends.

He didn't want to just _survive_ college, he wanted to _thrive_ in it as he knew he'd be there for a _really long time_.

* * *

Kevin read about the research patent that morning when the school sent out a press release to acknowledge it. Everything else he had either Googled or got out of Nazz as she and Eddy were back _on_ again and Lee was brooding about it at a few dive bars just outside of town, if rumors from his fellow motorcycle riding buddies was to be believed, _and it was._

And what he was really starting to like about his _date_ was the fact that even he was fed up with Eddy's mistreatment of the sweet future nurse.

"I like her and thinks she's really sweet," Edd said as he tapped his fingers on the lid of his cup, "but I think she can do better. I mean, he's acting _right,_ _right_ _now, but…"_

Kevin nodded as he sipped the tea Edd had recommended and couldn't believe that the dork was willing to sell out his best friend over a girl he had no chance with. He understood that Nazz had no chance with _Edd_ , but that didn't make what he was telling him any less surprising.

"How about we do a double date?"

Edd cocked his head as a curious look settled into his eyes.

"But why would we do that?"

"To keep an eye on them?," Kevin shrugged and then he wanted to kick himself when he saw the slightly disappointed look in Edd's _blue_ eyes. "Or we can do a practice date by ourselves? I'm game for whatever."

"Nice save, Mr Barr," Edd grinned as he sipped his Americano.

 _"Mr Barr_ is my father," Kevin whispered as he leaned over the table, propped his elbows on top of it and put his face in in his hands. "But you can call me _Kevin._ And you _should_ , say Thursday?"

"Can we make it Saturday? I've gotta work on Thursdays, remember?," Edd said as he bit his lip and a blush flew across his face, but his eyes looked so pensive.

Kevin leaned back in his seat and threw his head back on a groan.

"I've got a game Saturday…"

Edd tapped the lid to his cup again as he thought and Kevin wanted to swim in his _baby blues_.

Edd knew that Saturday game days were an all-day event. With Kevin being the starting quarterback, he'd have an early morning workout and small practice, a press conference with the media, the game itself, then a post-game press conference, dinner with the team, and if he had the strength to do it, he could shake the week off like all the other students on campus did by going out and doing something fun.

But he _rarely_ hear about the redhead being out on the town on Saturday nights.

The rumor was that he would be "too drained to hang," and would hole up in his room for the rest of the weekend. And now that he's put _two and two together,_ when it came to Nazz, there was a good chance the two childhood best friends would do a TV marathon of some sort at her place, as she was sometimes unavailable for Eddy's last minute Saturday night dates.

"What about Sunday?," Edd suggested. "You'll be rested up from your game and I don't have anything planned."

"The _geek_ doesn't have _anything_ planned to start the week?," Kevin asked as he cocked a brow, the disbelief in his eyes making Edd drop his head a bit.

"I mean, I've got homework to do like everyone else, but I _am_ free," he said softly and as he finished his sentence, his lower lip settled into the most kissable pout Kevin has ever seen, but he didn't like the look in Edd's eyes and had to make it go away.

Just like he had to see him again.

"How about we do lunch?"

"Dinner? I've got a study group at two," Edd sighed and Kevin just smirked and shook his head.

Of course a genius like Edd would have plans, it was just a matter of making general conversation with him to draw them out.

"Well, I have curfew at 10, so I can do 6," he told him as he pulled out his phone and pulled up his calendar.

"6 it is," Edd grinned as he, too, pulled out his phone to place a note of the date on his calendar as well.

But before they could say anything more, a harsh whisper came from the counter.

"Psst! Edd!"

Edd turned his head and what Kevin could only see as _annoyance_ in his eyes flashed at a blue haired girl who didn't even seem fazed by the look on his face.

"Robbie will be back in like two minutes, Dude," she told him as she scooped some foamed milk into a _to go_ cup.

"I gotta go," Edd said as he whipped his head back to Kevin. "Just call me or whatever, but I'll see you Saturday," he grinned as he stood and headed back to the counter.

"I thought we said Sunday," Kevin said as he waved the screen that was showing the calendar on his phone at Edd.

"We did," Edd said as his grin got slyer. "But _I'll see you Saturday."_

A shocked looked flashed into sparkling green eyes before a delighted grin crossed Kevin's face.

"Yes. Yes, you will," he grinned as he tipped his cup at Edd and walked out the door.


	5. Just One Night

Kevin sighed as he stared at his phone and then back to his Statistics 300 homework.

Being a business major just made sense to him. If he ever got drafted, he wanted to be sure that he could handle the business side of playing sports on the professional level on his own and not have to rely on someone else to cover his ass for him.

He had seen way too many great players fall because someone wasn't managing their money properly.

He had always thought that _that someone_ was the player because there was just no way any normal person would let _that much money_ slip through their fingertips the way that so many professional athletes had.

He was _not_ going to have that kind of statistic on his career.

Hell, he'd take a below normal batting average over getting screwed out of a couple of million dollars _any day_.

And since _that_ wasn't going to happen, he had to make sure he knew how _economic_ statistics worked.

It was all easy to understand when he related it all back to football or baseball, _especially baseball,_ but it could also get tedious and boring as well.

Which is how he figured out why so many people who were suddenly flush with money would lose it all so fairly quickly.

In the right hands, a good amount of money can be turned into a _better_ amount of money. In the wrong hands, you're carrying your belongings in trash bags to the poor house.

* * *

While the statistical probability of seeing Edd on Sunday still remained high, his chances of connecting to him between now and then was _low._

It was Wednesday, and Edd's responses to his texts were _slow_.

He knew the scholar was busy by Edd's own admission, but he didn't think he had anything to do tonight besides homework and probably a group meeting of some sort.

And he felt like the world's biggest idiot when Edd finally cleared everything up.

DrDD: Sorry I'm at the cocktail party the science dept is giving us for securing that stem cell patent. I have never had to deal with so many coattail riders in my life. But in answer to your questions, I prefer Marvel to DC overall as I see myself in more Marvel's characters than DC's cast list, but see the appeal to both. And thin crust gives you more room for TOPPINGS! XD

While Kevin found it odd that a university department celebratory party was happening on a _school night,_ it also didn't surprise him as the game on Saturday was against their in state conference rivals and _everything_ on Saturday was going to be centered around the rivalry with no time for celebrating in school successes unless it had to do with a sports team.

KevB: Give me your fave toppings when you can.

And the response was _immediate._

DrDD: Pepperoni and pineapple, supreme lover's, pepperoni lover's, and veggie lover's BUT ONLY IF IT'S FROM PIZZA HUT. I don't eat Papa John's bc reasons and I'm so close to a free pizza from Domino's that I can TASTE it. Which is way better than these watered down cocktails.

KevB: Don't tell Danny

DrDD: OH I WON'T! LOL I'd rather not ever catch that level of HECK. But I gotta go. Gonna see if I can't resurrect this shindig from the dead. I'll see you Saturday, tho. ;)

KevB: Knock 'em dead cutie!

DrDD: You're my alibi now!

KevB: ANYTIME

After a minute or two of just staring at his phone after Edd's last text, Kevin resigned himself to the fact that Edd was gone back to his party and he was back to his homework.

* * *

He hadn't noticed that Nat had come into the room until he said, "Dude, just _call him."_

Kevin whipped himself around so fast that he got a touch of whiplash.

"Ow. Fuck, Dude. When'd you get in here?," he groaned as he rubbed out the kink in his neck.

"About fifteen minutes ago. And I've had to listen to fifteen minutes of _you_ staring at your phone like a fat kid waiting on cupcakes to cool and moaning and groaning about it the whole time. What gives?," Nat said as he pushed his desk chair away from his desk and to his bed to grab a couple of books and folders off of it before pushing himself back to his desk again.

"I can't _call_ him," Kevin sighed and when Nat looked at him he felt a pang of empathy for his friend.

He was _falling_.

"Why not?"

"He's at a thing for getting that stem cell patent."

"A _thing?,"_ Nat asked as he hadn't heard of any social events on the school's calendar this week outside of the game on Saturday.

"The department is giving them a party for getting the patent," Kevin shrugged before turning back to his homework.

"When are you going to see him again?," Nat asked softly knowing _exactly_ what Kevin was going through at this exact moment.

 _"Technically_ , Sunday, but he's coming to the game on Saturday, so there's that," Kevin said as he turned around and made a face and then rolled his eyes at the near disappointed look on Nat's face.

"You should see him Saturday, too," Nat said firmly but Kevin shook his head tiredly.

 _"I can't, you know that!,"_ Kevin protested.

"Are you seeing her?"

"Noooo," Kevin said slowly as he picked up his phone and checked over his messages. That thought confirmed, he shook his head again. "She's got a date."

"So why can't you see him!?"

 _"Because you never get a second chance to make a first impression,"_ Kevin sighed and Nat cocked his head. "Passing out in the middle of the date isn't my idea of a good first impression, dude."

Nat sighed and nodded in understanding.

"I guess. You can come hang out with me and James at the theater house for an after-hour's thing when you get up."

Kevin just shook his head no.

"Thinking about getting some game time in. Just chilling with myself, you know."

Nat never really understood Kevin's need to be _alone_ , but he did _respect it_.

"Ok, but _don't wait up_ ," the peacock winked and Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

Edd slipped into his room sometime after midnight and he was _exhausted_. He damn near wanted to cry because he knew he'd get only a _cat nap's_ amount of sleep tonight thanks to that party. And then face another super busy day when his alarm went off _before_ the sun came up.

He had to open the coffee shop in the morning and then go to class til noon, lunch, and spend the rest of afternoon in the labs before heading home and a mound of homework the size of a good sized molehill that felt like Mt Everest to climb through.

He used to think that it was silly that his teachers in high school and then professors in college would go easy on them with homework during Big Game week's.

The _athletes_ were the ones playing, so he could understand trying to lessen their school work load, but only a little bit because _everyone_ had the same amount of weekend hours as everyone else and could get the work done if they really just _disciplined_ themselves and _did it_ in their free time instead of doing _everything but_ the work assigned.

His thought was that a few hours taking care of business would mean a few more hours later of freedom.

Until he got himself into a position that required him to sacrifice the rest he needed to get the work done.

Thankful that a few of his professor's didn't assign any work over the weekend, and that he got as much done as he could before their assigned due dates _and_ turned in, he quickly got ready for bed and then fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

But not before sending one more text.

DrDD: Call the coroner. Bc I got the Leeton Grant!

The text he got before he walked into his last class of the day later that morning made him _smile_ for the rest of the week.

KevB: At least you've got a nice ass to go with the smart one! ;)

And for the first time in a _long time_ , he couldn't wait to waste what little free time he had with someone new.


	6. Game Time

_Media Day_

When he was in high school, the closest Kevin got to putting on a show for the media was in interviews with the school newspaper, then on the field with the school's AV Club. Because they never allowed the city's television news affiliates or even the newspaper to interview students, he was wholly unprepared for what _Media Day_ meant until he got to college.

He had watched plenty of pre and post-game press conferences and locker room interviews growing up, but there's _nothing_ like the _real thing._

When his coach found out that he didn't have a clue as to what he was supposed to do on Media Day, they put him in a speech class and public relations class.

 _"Take all the notes you can, Barr. This ain't like flirting with some pretty classmate. They'll eat you alive if you so much as crack a smile before the game or see you upset if we lose. Putting on your game face is just like putting on a poker face, only you have to hold it for a good 14 weeks,"_ his coach told him after he made him sign up for the speech and PR classes.

Now that he was a junior, he knew how to _handle_ the media, but he didn't _like_ it. He just wanted to play ball.

* * *

He'd gotten _good luck_ texts the morning of a game since he was a sophomore in high school and got his first cell phone.

But for some reason, there was only one that mattered today.

DrDD: You've got this. I'll see you at the tail gate.

* * *

When the school announced that they were basically shutting the place down for the game, their texts went from pensive about Edd's ability to really _see_ him Saturday to making plans to meet up beforehand at the football team's tailgate.

So he sits through the five minutes he's been allotted to speak to the media before the game, does his spiel, and then does a casual dress out of his jersey and jeans for the tailgate. He's only going to be there for about thirty minutes to schmooze with alumni and past athletes of the university, be they graduates or not, see his parents, and then go play another game.

He treated _all_ games the same. They were just a stepping stone to a championship ring.

He won one last year, so he was shooting for doing it again and _nothing_ was standing in his way.

* * *

"Kevin?"

Kevin snapped his head around to see Edd standing behind him with a shy smile on his face and a man and a woman that looked like an odd combination of the genius standing on either side of him.

Where the woman gave him his dark hair, and probably his short stature, he got the blue eyes and smile from the tall, slim blond man, who was reaching his hand out to the redhead.

"Mitchell Vincent," the man smiled. "I saw the presser on ESPN2 this morning. You guys really looking to win this thing, huh?"

"Y-Yes, Sir," Kevin said with a nod and small smile as he gave his strongest handshake to the man. "That's the plan."

"I wish you well then. Wouldn't hurt to put those kitty cats from across the river in their damn place."

Edd sputtered out a giggle as the woman next to him went _red._

"Valerie Vincent," she damn near growled as she ripped Kevin's hand from her husband's and drew him into a hug before pulling him close to her side and turning on her husband. "I was a _kitty cat,_ _that he didn't mind creeping around for."_

 _"Oh, God,"_ Edd snickered from behind _both hands_.

Kevin gave him a pleading glance that the ravenette _waved off_ as Mitchell gave his wife a cold side eye before pulling her away from the redhead's side.

"We're a _Bears_ family, Val," Mitchell said with knowing look and Valerie rolled her eyes.

"You people are," she retorted. "I'll be a jungle cat til the day I damn die."

"Here, here!"

And Kevin _paled_.

Edd looked up to see a woman with a mane of curly red hair and bright hazel eyes walk up to her son and then his own mother _squealed_.

 _"Lacey!? Lacey Anne McDonald is that you!?,"_ Valerie damn near sobbed as she pulled the woman into a tight hug that Lacey returned by _picking her up and swinging her around_.

"VALERIE CHRYSTAL MARION AS I LIVE AND BREATHE!," Lacey hollered as she spun her old friend around. "Where the hell have you been!?"

"Little place called Peachbury because their hospital offered me my first job," she answered breathlessly as Lacey set her down again. "That's where I met _this_ guy," she snarked as she pointed with her thumb to her grinning husband behind her who had pulled Edd under one arm and Kevin under the other.

"Oh, no!," Lacey groaned as a high cheer rose up from behind her and Edd looked up to see the _second coming_ of Kevin walking up to their small group, a beer in one raised hand and a burger in the other.

The man was as tall as the redhead, but had broader shoulders, a much thicker waistline, and Kevin's eyes.

"Hey, Dad," Kevin sighed, but it was _Mitchell_ who was suddenly beside himself with all kinds of emotions.

"Allen."

It was in the way he said it that caused everyone to turn and _stare_ at him.

"Heeeeey, Mitchy," the elder Barr man grinned and when Mitchell crossed his arms and shot him an unimpressed smirk, Eddward cocked a brow and Kevin's suddenly feeling feelings for _both_ Vincent men.

"Anyone care to clue _us_ in?," Lacey asked as she wrapped an arm around Valerie's waist, Valerie wrapped her arm around her shoulders and Edd thought they looked like two _coeds_ in their old university gear.

"We were roommates," Mitchell sighed and Allen's smile looks apologetic but also like he's trying to hide something from everyone.

"For how long, Father?," Edd asked and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Allen start to try to slip away before the tall, lanky Vincent grabbed him and pulled him in front of him as he answered.

"Four _long_ years."

"You say _long,_ I say _tedious,"_ Allen snarked at him and Mitchell groaned.

When everyone looked at the two in confusion, Mitchell explained their _situation_.

"I was the only one who managed to keep this idiot out of trouble freshman year, so the coach made sure we roomed together the entire time we were here," he sighed and Allen laughed as he took a swig of his beer.

"Oh, don't be like that, Mitchy!," Allen grinned as he slapped him on his back and Mitchell _shook_ him which just made him laugh again.

"It was _awful_ ," he told his wife and son. "This man is a slob and a brute and –"

"You love me!," Allen laughed as he gave him a bear hug, but the look in Allen's eyes was one of such pleading, Kevin and Edd stepped in to pull their father's apart.

 _"Anyways,"_ Valerie said as she cleared her throat and then looked at her old friend. "Where did you find _this guy?"_

"Bar crawl," Lacey said softly as she pressed her face into Valerie's shoulder.

"Lacey!"

"You left me!"

"I'm sorry," Valerie said as he pulled her in for a hug and when she pulled away, she gave her friend a reassuring grin that Edd knew would soothe her. "Since it's apparent that our boys here are friends, how about you and I do a little cheering for old time's sake and the next time I can get to a game, I'll let you know and we'll go nuts."

"REALLY?!," Lacey smiled and Valerie gave her a full smile.

"Absolutely. Call the rest of the gang if you want."

"Oh, _hell naw_ ," Lacey sighed. "Those old hags don't know how to hang out anymore."

"What…What happened?," Valerie asked urgently and Lacey made a face.

"After you graduated, _and left me,"_ Lacey began and Valerie rolled her eyes, "everyone else got all hooked up and started wanting to get their Mrs Degrees and stuff. No one wanted to hang out and do fun stuff no more," she pouted and Valerie pulled her into another hug.

"Where are you living now?"

"Peach Creek. Why _omigod_ you're like an _hour_ away now!," Lacey squealed as she picked Valerie up and swung her around again.

"I _am,"_ a dizzy Valerie replied. "So we can start over again. I'm sorry I left."

"It's ok," Lacey shrugged. "I understand because I left, too."

"Did you finish?!"

Lacey snorted as she shook her head.

"Still the same ol' Val. Yeah, we all did. I just moved to Peach Creek because I didn't want to go back to Allentown. He got on at the candy factory there and I got a job teaching at the high school."

"Every baby-," Valerie said with a knowing look.

"Needs to spread its wings," Lacey smiled. "I guess that's why he's here?," she asked as she cocked her head at Edd.

"Yes," Valerie sighed. "They gave him way more money than we did, soooooo..."

"Full ride to toss a ball around," Lacey snorted as she pointed at her son.

"Hey! I'm standing _right here,"_ Kevin protested.

"And if I may say," Edd chimed in, "I would like to think that my _academic work_ is what got me here _thank you!"_

Valerie just rolled her eyes again and Lacey shook her head.

"You'll understand when you have kids of your own someday," Lacey told him. "Momma's want their babies to stay close to their nests."

"And what about Dad's?!," Allen protested and Mitchell nodded .

Both moms narrowed their eyes at their husbands and Kevin ran his hand down his face as Edd held his in his hands and groaned.

"I follow the money," Kevin shrugged and Edd nodded.

"You gonna tell my grandbabies that?," Lacey snipped at him.

"What do you think, Edd?"

Edd went _red_ but Kevin's playful grin got him to go along with the redhead's game at his mother's expense, if only to rub one in his mother's face, too.

"I think that's fair, Dear," he mused as he tapped a finger to his chin. _"But,_ we also need to factor in the fact that _we_ can't have kids in the traditional sense and by the time we get around to bringing them into our home, we just may want a dog."

"Oh, my God!," Kevin squealed as he bounced from foot to foot. "I've got a friend back home who breeds pugs if you want in on that business."

"Don't tell Eddy and I want a boy one and I want to name him Sherman," Edd nodded and Kevin pulled him in for a hug as he gave him a forehead kiss as an alarm went off on his phone.

"Deal! But I gotta run," he said apologetically as he pulled his phone out to silence it and Edd nodded again as he gave him a squeeze.

"Good luck."

"Thanks," Kevin said as he kissed the top of his head, gave hugs and handshakes to their parents, then took off for the locker room.

* * *

After waving goodbye to Kevin as he left the tailgate, Edd turned to see two sets of parents _staring_ at him.

"Is _he_ why you wanted to come to the tailgate, Eddward?," his mother asked and he nodded.

"So you two dating?," Allen asked as he nommed on what was left of his burger and Mitchell rolled his eyes and huffed as he pulled a packet of tissues out of his pocket and shoved them in his old roommate's hands.

"N-No, well, not really," Edd sighed as he tried to figure out what they were indeed _doing._

"So what's going on, Son?," Mitchell asked gently knowing that Edd's dating history was fraught with some _mistakes_ and he wasn't about to let his brutish old roommate's son be another one.

"Well, we've met before and want to hang out, but I'm _so busy,_ so we thought today would be a good compromise. I didn't remember you guys were coming til you called and I just thought it'd be a friendly meet up, not a freaking class reunion."

"Hey!," Valerie protested as Mitchell laughed.

"He's got us there, Val," Mitchell snorted.

"Yes, well, excuse me for being happy to see an old friend," she retorted and Lacey pulled her close again as she stuck her tongue out at Edd.

"Yeah, Edd, is it?," she asked and Edd nodded. "Me and your mom go back to freshman orientation and honest, friendly faces are hard to come by. So excuse us for being happy to see one again."

"Oh, I'm very happy for you," Edd said defensively and held his hands up in surrender, "and to know that at least our parents do get along, but this is _weird,"_ he sighed as he made a face.

"No weirder than anything you and your friends get into," Valerie snarked and Edd gave her a pointed _look_ that Lacey knew all too well.

"Whatever he's into, Val, you gotta let him be," she said softly and Valerie _whined_. "He likes boys?"

A nod.

"But he likes _my boy_."

A _tiny_ tantrum.

"What's _the deal,_ Val?"

A pouting look before she took a breath and spoke again.

"How do you…how do you deal with all the _junk?"_

"What people think of me and mines is no concern of me and mines because we ain't doing shit to bother nobody so people can fuck off."

"Say's the _English_ teacher."

"Everything I just said was in English woman!," Lacey laughed as she gave her old buddy a squeeze and Valerie leaned her head on her shoulder. "Look, there's a PFLAG chapter in Lemon Brook that has meetings every second Sunday afternoon. You should come with. The guys who run it have been through some shit and know their shit and they're really good with resources to help you understand all this. It's gonna be ok."

Edd breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the looks of _curiosity_ that crossed his parents faces.

For the past five years since he's been _out_ , he had done his damnedest to educate them, but sometimes it takes hearing it from someone else, _especially someone they respect_ , for them to _get it._

 _"One_ meeting," Valerie said as she held up a finger, so Lacey pulled it and made a farting noise as she did so and the two moms fell into a fit of giggles.

Allen took a quick look between his wife and her old friend and then to Edd.

His son had mentioned that he finally met someone new who was "pretty cool, kinda like Ma" during their weekly Sunday phone calls.

Seeing the rapport between his Lacey and Valerie and even the small moment of silliness between his son and Edd, his gut told him that this _pretty cool_ person, was just what the doctor ordered for his son's _life_.

He just couldn't believe that his old pre-med roommate was the doctor who ordered it as it were.

Seeing Edd being a part of the _compromise_ to make this _meeting_ happen, let him know that they would make the time whenever they could, as best they could.

And they would _all_ be better for it.

* * *

Edd sat with his other Ed friends, Nazz, and Rave during the game.

His mom and Lacey cheered from the visitor's side and he and Kevin's fathers were on the sidelines.

But Kevin only saw _one_ person from his place on the sidelines and in the huddles because that person told him that they'd see _him_ today.

He couldn't wait to see him tomorrow.

They won the game 35-28.

Lacey and Valerie drowned their sorrows in cocktails, Mitchell and Allen toasted the win with beer with whiskey chasers, and Rave drug Nat back to his place if only to escape Kevin's dad's _advice_ on how to be a good running back, _like him_.

Kevin didn't wait up.

He had a date to be rested for.


	7. A First Date, An Everlasting Impression

Nat hadn't made it back to their room when Kevin got up that morning, so he was free to pick out his own clothes for his date with Edd, which he did with fervor.

Then he finished his homework and went to have lunch with Nazz who was rather excited to tell him about all the plans for the week she and Eddy had. He made note to talk to his motorcycle buddies to see what Lee was up to, though.

The afternoon was a bit rougher as his texts back and forth with Edd had waned because Edd was in his study group from 2 til a little after 4. And by the time he was done with his study group, they'd both be too busy getting ready for their date to text back and forth.

Which just made his anxiety pique because he couldn't believe that he even had a chance with the adorkably smart young man.

So he blows up a few bad guys on XBox Live til Nat texted him that he was on his way back home. Knowing that meant that he was at least an hour away from walking in the door, he hopped in the shower and said a few Hail Mary's that tonight would be the start of something _good._

* * *

"You look fine, Sockhead," Eddy said as he chewed on the end of his pen before scrawling out an answer on his economics worksheet.

"You can't even see me!," Edd protested from their bathroom and Eddy snorted.

"Yeah, but I can _hear you_. Get out here, man," the accounting major sighed and Edd slowly opened the door.

Eddy gave him a blank look and shrugged when he stepped out and Edd groaned.

"I'm changing," he said but before Eddy or Edd could say anything or move, there was a knock at the door.

Edd's head snapped to the clock on the small rolling chest of drawers next to his bed and his jaw dropped.

 _545PM_

"He's _early,_ Eddy," the flustered young man whispered and Eddy gave him a look.

"It's probably just Ed," he said as he went to the door. "Told him I'd go with him to Teenagers Vs Zombies 3 tonight."

Edd held his breath in the hopes that it was only his other best friend on the other side of the door only to have those hopes dashed but so many more raised when Eddy opened the door to reveal Kevin standing there with a silly grin on his face.

"Hey, is-?"

"Right here," Eddy said with an eye roll as he stepped to the side to let Kevin inside the room and Edd gave him a tiny wave as he tried to get his wits back.

"Um, let me grab my shoes and then we can go," he said hurriedly and Kevin nodded as he flew to his closet to grab a pair of shoes.

"Get your Vans," Eddy told him.

Kevin shot him a look as Edd did what he said and then sat back to watch the rapport between the two Eds.

They made quick plans for lunch during the week, and a couple of study sessions, too. Work schedules were exchanged and nights were left open for dates with Nazz on Eddy's part and general shenanigans with their other Ed.

Eddy took notes the entire time as Edd led the discussion and within two minutes, he and Kevin were out the door with Eddy's admonishment to have his Cinderella back before midnight and Edd telling him to make sure he turned in his human resources management paper in before 9.

When Edd slammed the door on Eddy's cursing his, "stupid fucking HR bullshit," he took Kevin's arm and grinned as he said, "Lead the way."

* * *

While Edd's lightweight blue bomber jacket over his yellow button down and green argyle sweater was warm enough for the cool evening, he was _roasting_ with nerves under his collar and debated whether or not he should toss his blue skinny jeans in his dirty clothes hamper or not considering he kept having to wipe his sweaty palms on them every few minutes.

The redhead looked _good_ and Edd was _crushing._

Even though his simple outfit of a baby blue button down, jeans, and his riding boots, with a leather jacket wasn't anything Edd would ever have seen on a runway, the QB looked like he should be on a runway and hanging out with other _cool_ people, not a _dork_ like himself.

He started to have his mini war with his anxiety as soon as they made it to the common area of Edd's dorm as a few people recognized Kevin and while the redhead was charismatic, Edd felt the judgmental stares.

It wasn't a giant secret that Kevin was gay, but he knew what it looked like to be seen with a guy like _Edd._

The ride on Kevin's Harley to the restaurant had been thrilling but for nearly all the wrong reasons and Edd was sure Kevin had bruises around his midsection from Edd squeezing the life out of him.

Edd kept ripping his hand away from Kevin's own nearly every time the redhead grasped it because he knew that his sweaty palm had to be uncomfortable for the guy with the greatest left hand that the school had ever seen to hold.

He stuttered over small talk as they looked over the menu at the Korean restaurant Kevin had chosen for dinner and damn near forgot how to use his chopsticks when their gimbap and steamed dumplings appetizers arrived.

And then there was Kevin's _silence_.

He wasn't being as talkative as he had been before but this was even more quiet than he had been when he and Edd ran into each other over the latter's date with Josh, which had been understandable considering that _situation,_ but _this was new._

And the little sparkle in his eyes when Edd would find it in himself to look up at the young man would stun him into silence.

Every other time they had seen each other, things had flowed relatively easy between them.

So why was tonight so _hard?!_

* * *

"Edd?"

Edd barely raised his head from dipping his dumpling in soy sauce as he said, "Hmm?"

Next thing the ravenette knew Kevin's face was mere millimeters from his own and he kissed him.

"It's ok," the redhead grinned as he pulled away. "I get it."

"How?!," Edd asked as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.

"You're the smartest person on campus, Edd. I'm like, a stupid jock. What the fuck do I look like hanging out with you?," the redhead asked exasperatedly as he took off his hat and fussed with his hair in frustration.

"Pretty damn smart," Edd said as _that grin_ crossed his face and Kevin rolled his eyes as he smirked but his cheeks were as red as his hair.

"Uh huh," Kevin deadpanned and Edd giggled as his anxiety seeped away.

* * *

"So Mr Jockface," he said as he found his center again and grasped at what little time they had left before Kevin had to head back to his dorm for curfew. "where do you see yourself in five years?"

"What?!," Kevin groaned as he facepalmed. _"That question already?"_

When Edd didn't answer him, he opened his eyes and between his fingers he saw those blue eyes twinkling like the fireflies that would play in his backyard when he was growing up.

"I see myself with you," he grinned.

Edd went _scarlet_ as he sputtered out his rebuttal of, "We just met!"

"I mean, you just keep popping up," the redhead shrugged as he helped their waiter arrange their plates. "Figured I'd keep ya."

 _"I keep popping up?!,"_ Edd squeaked. "You crashed my date!"

"You crashed my tailgate!"

"We planned that together, you dolt."

"And I plan on seeing you for a while since you seem to have such great ideas," Kevin said as he dug into their shared bowl of rice. "Want some of this?"

Edd looked at the bowl Kevin had in his hand, then the redhead himself, before his eyes caught the clock on the wall behind him.

 _7PM_

Time was a 'wasting and while he wasn't going to worry about his own future let alone _theirs_ until he got to it, he was very much gonna hold onto _this._

"Yeah," he smiled as he handed him his plate and then grabbed Kevin's own to load it up with the bulgogi he ordered.

* * *

They worked in tandem to make sure the other's plate was made before Kevin said grace and then they dug into their food as they dug into their lives a bit more.

The future biology researcher wanted to head up his own lab someday, while Kevin was happy to win another couple of college championships before using that clout to get a business loan and open his own chain of car and motorcycle customization shops.

They flirted like silly teenagers over rice and veggies, and over a dessert of red bean paste Manjoo and green tea, Edd held his hand, sweaty palm and all.

By 830, dinner was done, but Kevin had one more stop to make.

* * *

Kevin's need to be alone came from his natural ability to make himself the center of attention at all times.

Being an only child, he went out of his way to make connections, but coming home to a quiet house at the end of the day was rejuvenating for him.

Gone were the demands to be _on_ all the time and it was a much needed break, even if his chore list was twice as long as that of most of his friends and classmates.

But he learned how to do for himself, which was a plus in his interpersonal relationships as he wasn't bound to a lot of rules about what role he should play because he identified as male. When you're the only one, you have to cook, clean, budget, entertain, and live for yourself.

In living for himself, he found things that he liked that he only wanted to share with someone _special_.

And one of those things was _enjoying the view._

* * *

From the top of Peach Blossom Cliff, you stood above the underground spring that fed into the waterfall that fed into the river that crossed the state and branched off into the creek that was in his backyard.

The spring made the valley it sat above _lush_ with so many colors, foliage, and smells that it was like walking into what Kevin had always imagined the Garden Of Eden was like.

It was so beautiful and quiet that it down right soothed his soul.

The sunrises were awe inspiring and the sunsets were humbling.

He rarely made it out to this spot because his two sport schedule wouldn't allow it as often as he liked. But he felt that with the right person, he could make the time.

When Edd dismounted the bike and took off the helmet, he was struck dumb. But the look in his eyes showed Kevin that he needed this view as much as the redhead did, if not _more._

 _"Oh, my God, Kevin,"_ he breathed. "This place is _beautiful!_ How in the world did you find it!?"

"Got lost one day and kinda just got turned around up here. I mapped out the waterfall and apparently, it feeds into Peach Creek."

"Really!?," Edd exclaimed as he looked down at the waterfall below them.

"Yep," Kevin grinned as he came behind him and rested his left hand on his shoulder and pointed to the small, but quick moving brook below. "There's a cold water spring underneath us. It creates the waterfall, the waterfall goes down there and that brook feeds into the river and the river has a branch that leads to Peach Creek."

"So this is where it all begins, huh?," Edd asked softly and Kevin's heart skipped a few beats.

 _He knew._

"Well, yeah," he said as he came to stand next to him. "It's gotta start _somewhere."_

Edd slipped his hand into Kevin's and the redhead's palm was as sweaty as his own.

"I like starting," he nodded as the sun dipped behind the trees and the first stars came out of the darkening sky.

Kevin's beeping alarm from his phone let the redhead know they were going to have to start to head back to university now so he could make curfew.

"We gotta start back," he sighed as he silenced the device in his pocket and Edd pouted.

So he kissed it away.

"But I'll see you Tuesday."

"And Thursday?"

"Absolutely," the redhead grinned happy to have a bit more time with the smart cutie whom he was really starting to fall for.

"And Saturday, too," Edd said as they made their way back to Kevin's Harley.

"But, that's an _away_ game, Edd," Kevin said as he looked at him in a bit of confusion because he had _never_ gotten anyone to come see him for an away game besides his parents, friends, and Nazz and even that was occasionally.

"Figured I'd like to start following the river is all," Edd smirked as the redhead buckled the spare helmet on his head.

"In Mother Russia, river follows you," Kevin snickered in a _very bad_ Russian accent and Edd laughed so hard he nearly cried.

"What about Mother Ireland?," he giggled.

"Lort," Kevin groaned. "She whacks you with her rolling pin and pulls your ear."

"OW!," Edd cried as he covered his head with his arms.

"But she gives good cuddles and kisses when you need it, so it all evens out," he shrugged as he mounted his bike and Edd eased his arms around his waist.

"Even on Saturday nights?"

"Especially on Saturday nights," Kevin said as he turned around and instantly Edd's lips were on his own.

When he pulled back, he grinned at Kevin's happily stunned stare and said, "The early bird gets the worm."

"Dude!," Kevin pleaded and those blue eyes just twinkled as Edd shrugged and said, "I like starting things."

"How are you with finishing them?," Kevin asked seriously.

"Only when I absolutely have to save my life or my sanity. I don't see that happening here," Edd said just as seriously as he took Kevin's hand into his own.

"I've been known to be make a few people crazy," Kevin teased.

"So have I," Edd smirked and Kevin bit his lip as he softly whined.

Another chirp of Kevin's phone brought them back to reality but Edd snatched it out of his hand and brought up his Facebook app after he silenced the alarm.

"What are you -?"

Edd's hand was shaking as he went into Kevin's personal settings and clicked on the _In A Relationship With_ button.

He knew why Kevin brought him up here.

There was no way you'd share such a special space with just anyone.

They _friended_ and _followed_ each other on various social media platforms in the week since Edd ran into him at the rave and their texts had gone from friendly to the edge of _something more_ since his date with Josh.

After seeing their parents friendliness towards each other, and their own nonjudgmental interactions with their closest friends, they knew they had a _thing_ and they couldn't let it go.

They knew they could make the time.

They just had to make it official.

* * *

"Look, I'm not perfect, but I'm crazy loyal apparently, and I can only try to do right by ya. But only if you want me to," Kevin said breathlessly as Edd's thumb hovered over the box where he'd type in his name.

 _"Say yes!,"_ Edd's brain screamed at him but he was too busy typing his name into the tiny dialogue box to acknowledge anything else than what his thumb had to do.

"I do," Edd quickly when he was done. "I did," he went on as his own phone buzzed. "I-I m-mean-," he stuttered as he pulled out his phone that was buzzing with a notification from the world's most popular social media website to acknowledge what he had just done.

And when he did, the only word he could offer after he put his phone away and slowly hand Kevin his back was a small, "Yeah," as he fiddled with his hands.

A strong hand lifted his head and those green eyes were sparkling at him again.

He only saw it a few times in the last week, but now he _got it._

They only did it when they were happy or when they saw him or both.

 _Especially both._

Even when he was on his _date_ with Josh, they sparked a bit, as if they were holding on.

 _He would never let them go._

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The kiss that sealed them would always be Edd's favorite.

Never had he been drawn in like the redhead's hand on his cheek was doing.

Never had a tongue danced with his own the way Kevin's did.

Never had his lips been so _locked_.

He was _impressed_ and _impressed upon_.

He couldn't let him go.

* * *

Their friends would always tease them about their first date.

So many impressions had been made and they would make them again and again over the course of a relationship that took them from their college years to eternity.

But first impressions are everlasting like that.

 ** _The End._**


End file.
